The relationship between Long Covid (LC) symptoms and physical activity (PA) levels are unclear. In this cross-sectional study, we examined this association, and the advice that individuals with LC received on PA. Adults with LC were recruited via social media. The New Zealand physical activity questionnaire short form (NZPAQ-SF) was adapted to capture current and pre-COVID-19 PA levels and activities of daily living (ADLs). Participants reported how PA affected their symptoms, and what PA recommendations they had received from healthcare professionals and other resources; 477 participants completed the survey. Mean age (SD) was 45.69 (10.02) years, 89.1% female, 92.7% white, and median LC duration was 383.5 days (IQR: 168.25,427). Participants were less active than pre-COVID-19 (26.88 ± 74.85 vs. 361.68 ± 396.29 min per week, p < 0.001) and required more assistance with ADLs in a 7-day period compared to pre-COVID-19 (2.23 ± 2.83 vs. 0.11 ± 0.74 days requiring assistance, p < 0.001). No differences were found between the number of days of assistance required with ADLs, or the amount of PA, and the different durations of LC illness (p > 0.05). Participants reported the effect of PA on LC symptoms as: worsened (74.84%), improved (0.84%), mixed effect (20.96%), or no effect (28.72%). Participants received contradictory advice on whether to be physically active in LC. LC is associated with a reduction in PA and a loss of independence, with most participants reporting PA worsened LC symptoms. PA level reduction is independent of duration of LC. Research is needed to understand how to safely return to PA without worsening LC symptoms.

BackgroundFalls are a common cause of injury in older adults, with the prevention of falls being a priority for public health departments around the world. This study investigated the feasibility, and impact of an 8 week contemporary dance programme on modifiable physical (physical activity status, mobility, sedentary behaviour patterns) and psychosocial (depressive state, fear of falling) risk factors for falls.MethodsAn uncontrolled ‘pre-post’ intervention design was used. Three groups of older (60 yrs.+) adults were recruited from local community groups to participate in a 3 separate, 8 week dance programmes. Each programme comprised two, 90 min dance classes per week. Quantitative measures of physical activity, sedentary behaviour, depression, mobility and fear of falling were measured at baseline (T1) and after 8 weeks of dance (T2). Weekly attendance was noted, and post-study qualitative work was conducted with participants in 3 separate focus groups. A combined thematic analysis of these data was conducted.ResultsOf the 38 (Mean Age = 77.3 ± 8.4 yrs., 37 females) who attended the dance sessions, 22 (21 females; 1 male; mean age = 74.8, ±8.44) consented to be part of the study. Mean attendance was 14.6 (±2.6) sessions, and mean adherence was 84.3% (±17). Significant increases in moderate and vigorous physical activity were noted, with a significant decrease in sitting time over the weekdays (p < 0.05). Statistically significant decreases in the mean Geriatric Depression Scale (p < 0.05) and fear of falling (p < 0.005) score were noted, and the time taken to complete the TUG test decreased significantly from 10.1 s to 7.7 s over the 8 weeks (p < 0.005). Themes from the focus groups included the dance programme as a means of being active, health Benefits, and dance-related barriers and facilitators.ConclusionsThe recruitment of older adults, good adherence and favourability across all three sites indicate that a dance programme is feasible as an intervention, but this may be limited to females only. Contemporary dance has the potential to positively affect the physical activity, sitting behaviour, falls related efficacy, mobility and incidence of depression in older females which could reduce their incidence of falls. An adequately powered study with control groups are required to test this intervention further.

Objective Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain is being increasingly reported by patients as one of the most common persistent symptoms in post-COVID-19 syndrome or Long COVID. However, there is a lack of understanding of its prevalence, characteristics, and underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. The objective of this review is to identify and describe the features and characteristics of MSK pain in Long COVID patients. Methods The narrative review involved a literature search of the following online databases: MEDLINE (OVID), EMBASE (OVID), CINAHL, PsyclNFO, and Web of Science (December 2019 to February 2022). We included observational studies that investigated the prevalence, characteristics, risk factors and mechanisms of MSK pain in Long COVID. After screening and reviewing the initial literature search results, a total of 35 studies were included in this review. Results The overall reported prevalence of MSK pain in Long COVID ranged widely from 0.3% to 65.2%. The pain has been reported to be localized to a particular region or generalized and widespread. No consistent pattern of progression of MSK pain symptoms over time was identified. Female gender and higher BMI could be potential risk factors for Long COVID MSK pain, but no clear association has been found with age and ethnicity. Different pathophysiological mechanisms have been hypothesized to contribute to MSK pain in Long COVID including increased production of proinflammatory cytokines, immune cell hyperactivation, direct viral entry of neurological and MSK system cells, and psychological factors. Conclusion MSK pain is one of the most common symptoms in Long COVID. Most of the current literature on Long COVID focuses on reporting the prevalence of persistent MSK pain. Studies describing the pain characteristics are scarce. The precise mechanism of MSK pain in Long COVID is yet to be investigated. Future research must explore the characteristics, risk factors, natural progression, and underlying mechanisms of MSK pain in Long COVID.

This study investigated two-handed catching in eight children (four males, four females) aged 7 to 8 years (mean 7y 4mo [SD 3mo]) with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and their age-matched controls (AMCs). Kinematic data were collected to examine Bernstein's (1967) notion of freezing and releasing degrees of freedom (DF). Participants were asked to catch a ball 30 times, delivered in three blocks of 10 trials. Video analysis showed that children with DCD caught significantly fewer balls than their AMCs (p≤0.001) counterparts. Kinematic analyses showed that children with DCD exhibited smaller ranges of motion and less variable angular excursions of the elbow joints than their AMCs, and that their elbows are more rigidly coupled (p≤0.001). These data suggest that children with DCD rigidly fix and couple their limbs to reduce the number of DF actively involved in the task.Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) describes children with a marked impairment in the development of motor coordination that significantly interferes with daily activities and, often, academic achievement. These coordination difficulties are not due to a general medical condition, be it physical or mental. 1 Published work shows that children with DCD are a heterogeneous group with a variety of patterns of strengths and weaknesses yet rarely highly skilled at any motor task. 2,3 Children with DCD have been shown by many to exhibit difficulties with ball-handling skills. [2][3][4][5][6][7] Studies that have investigated ball catching in children with DCD suggest their problems could be due to a disturbance of visual perception 8 or problems with visuospatial anticipation and information processing. 9 Research has shown that children with DCD require more time than children without DCD to determine which cues are useful for their decision-making process in catching. 5 These observations are consistent with the notion that children with DCD have difficulty selecting appropriate motor responses, 10 suggesting that this could contribute to the difficulties observed when catching balls.Published work has also shown that children with DCD have problems with both temporal and spatial aspects of catching a ball. They exhibit more grasping errors and showed less elbow flexion and arm extension than their peers, and less bending of the elbows to absorb the force of the ball. 6 These observations suggest that children with DCD place restrictions upon their movement system to restrict the number of joints or degrees of freedom (DF) involved when catching a ball. 6 Catching a ball with two hands requires the coordination of many DF. Simply put, a DF refers to how many axes a joint can move about. For example, the elbow only has one DF: the forearm can flex toward or extend away from the upper arm. 11 If we take into account the number of joints and/or muscles working in the arms, there are far more DF available than the minimum number required to successfully accomplish the task. 12 These redundant DF give flexibility to the motor apparatus tha...

This study investigated the nature and extent of inter and intralimb coupling of the upper limbs in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and their age-matched controls (AMC) when catching a ball two-handed. Sixteen children (8 DCD, 8 AMC) volunteered for the study; parental consent was gained for each child. Using standard video analysis and 3D kinematic analysis, all children were examined performing 30 two-handed catches. Video analysis showed that the AMC children caught more balls than the DCD children (p< .005). Analyses of the kinematic data showed DCD participants exhibit a greater degree of linkage both between and within limb than the AMC participants (p < .01), but the AMC participants demonstrate more intra individual variability in these linkages (p < .01). The data shows that both DCD and AMC children couple their limbs to exert control over redundant degrees of freedom when catching a ball two-handed. However, DCD children show little capacity to vary their motor behavior exhibiting a less adaptable movement system, which in turn affects their success at the task.